In Between
by Devil of My Family
Summary: Despite Wolfram's supposed hatred towards Conrad, the two of them never became strangers. There was always the third brother between them who didn't allow that to happen. Preseries/VERY mild Yuuram


Helloooooooooooo everyone!!! This idea came to my head as I was watching the first season episodes again and I remembered stuff of the show that I had forgotten. Hope you guys like it!!!!

Disclaimer:I do not own Kyou Kara Maou

--

Gwendal remembered quite clearly the few days after Dan Hiri died. He had been impressed about how calmly Conrad seemed to take the news but he had still noticed the change in the way his older little brother acted. He was stern, tense; never let his guard down… He figured he was just in shock and that he wanted to deal with his emotions of loss alone. Gwendal granted him that privacy for that was what he would want people to do for him.

But when he realized Wolfram had changed in the exact same way, he couldn't help but feel worried. He had hardly spoken to anyone after coming back alone from the journey Dan Hiri had invited him on and that was why he hadn't noticed anything was wrong at first. It wasn't until a week later when he noticed that the youngest brother had been training his sword fighting skills for four days straight and hadn't even cracked a smile since he had come home. It wasn't normal and it made him nervous.

"Wolfram's acting strange," Gwendal commented a little while later when Conrad was looking for a book in his office. The brunette froze for just enough time for Gwendal to notice it and his eyes turned sad. "So you know what is up with him?"

"Yes…" Conrad said quietly.

"And?"

"He… He found out… about me…"Gwendal's eyes widened. Not only because of this information but because of how sad Conrad looked. "He hates me now."

"That is not true."

"But it is!" Conrad almost yelled. Gwendal blinked when he saw the tears in his brother's eyes. "He won't even look at me! I can't blame him, everyone's always told him humans are bad, he doesn't know any better but I… I don't want to… lose him, too."

Conrad's hands were tight fists and it was clear he was trying to stop himself from breaking down completely in front of his always strong older brother.

He never heard this wow, for it wasn't spoken aloud, but right then Gwendal promised that that would never happen. Conrad had lost enough.

He would not let his two brothers become strangers.

--

"Mother!"

"No! You're not leaving this castle!"

"But…"

"That's an order, Wolfram!"

It wasn't often that Lady Celi, the 26th Maou, used such authority towards her children. That was why Gwendal was so surprised to hear her raised voice, especially since Wolfram was her youngest, her baby that she spoiled to death, to whom she granted any wish he had.

The said blonde suddenly appeared from the Maou's study, so blinded by fury he didn't see his oldest brother before he bumped into him. Gwendal didn't say anything and even if he had had something to say, he wouldn't have had the time since Wolfram just deepened the frown on his face and rushed away. Shaking his head, Gwendal entered the room where Wolfram had come from.

"He wants to go with you," Lady Celi said when she heard Gwendal closing the door. She was standing next to the big window in the room, looking down to the court yard where soldiers were training. "He's determined to fight in the war."

"He is a skilled swordsman. And his element is fire. He's bound to get restless, he's never had a chance to show what he's capable of," Gwendal said.

"The will to show his skills is not the reason why he wants to go," the queen said, turning around. "And he's not restless because of his unused skills either. You know that."

Gwendal sighed. Yes, he did know that. And he didn't want to see his brother on the battlefield any more than their mother.

"I never wanted this war to happen," Lady Celi whispered. "I know he worries because there's not a moment that I'm not worried either. It's so difficult to wait for news and I know I'm selfish but I can't wait alone." She took a shaky breath and looked Gwendal in the eye. "You and your brothers are my world. I might not show it as often as I should but that is the truth and it breaks my heart every time I watch you and Conrad leave. I'll never be able to forgive myself for having to send you to battles and each time I'm so afraid you'll never return. Everyone is so busy and I can't… I can't… alone…"

There were wrinkles on Lady Celi's face that Gwendal had never seen before. The look on her face was the same that he always saw when he mounted his horse, ready to lead his droops, and looked back to see his mother, her arms tightly around Wolfram's shoulders, on the stairs watching him leave. He guessed he had never been close enough to see the lines that made his mother look so much older.

And suddenly Gwendal knew why she was always holding onto the youngest. He always looked so lost behind the strong mask on his face. He was torn between comforting his mother and helping his brother, having absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do, what people wanted from him. No one had ever told him. No one but his mother told him to stay behind but no one asked him to come either. But he wanted to go. He wanted to follow the army. And like Lady Celi had said, it wasn't because he wanted to show his skills.

"I want this war to end," Lady Celi said. "I need it to end."

"It will, Mother. It will end."

With that, Gwendal turned around and left the room. He felt a head ache form behind his eyes and felt a nagging urge to find Wolfram and slap him on the back of his head.

So stubborn…

But when he really thought about it, stubbornness was one of the things that proofed the three sons of the demon king to be brothers.

"Will you talk to him?"

Gwendal was stopped by the voice of Conrad. He turned to face the younger man who had a look on his face he couldn't read. Something between worried and annoyed.

"I can't tie him up even if I wanted to," Gwendal replied. "We won't be able to keep him safe in the castle forever."

"I know. And I know he's not a child anymore but… this isn't something he needs to be involved with," Conrad said.

"He is involved, Conrad. Whether we want it or not."

Gwendal knew that Conrad knew very well that if Wolfram set his mind to it, he'd find a way to leave the castle without anyone noticing. No guard in their right mind would dare to disobey the blonde prince if he told them to keep their mouths shut. Nevertheless, the heavy silence hanging between the two men made Gwendal sigh yet again, and he nodded slightly. "I'll talk to him. But that is all I will be able to do."

"Thank you, Gwendal. And…" Conrad looked troubled.

"…and?"

"Stay safe, alright? You're leaving tomorrow… So just… be careful out there."

Gwendal's eyes betrayed his surprise but soon the familiar frown returned to his face. "You're one to talk…" he mumbled.

It might have sounded harsh but Conrad knew there was much more to it.

--

"Why are you so determined to be a reckless little brat? Just do as I tell you!" Gwendal nearly yelled. His intention to just talk some sense into his youngest brother had taken a nasty turn as Wolfram's stubbornness reached a level even Gwendal's patience couldn't stand.

"Don't call me reckless or a brat! You two should be looking into mirror before making accusations like that!" Wolfram yelled back.

"Us two? You mean me and Mother?"

"No, you and little… I… I mean… Weller…" Wolfram said, his voice quieting down. He swallowed air and tried to look anywhere else but Gwendal in the eye.

Gwendal took a deep breath to calm himself before talking again, his voice much more gentle this time. "Wolfram, you don't have to be on the battlefield to make yourself useful. People right here in the castle need help, too. And isn't Lady Julia giving you healing lessons?"

"She is, but…"

"And mother needs you," Gwendal continued without bothering to hear what Wolfram had to say about the lessons. "You're the greatest source of comfort she has."

"Sure but who's there to comfort me?" Wolfram said under his breath. As soon as the words had left his mouth his eyes widened and he covered it with his hand. He still didn't look at Gwendal but could sense the eyes that were burning a hole in his back.

"I'm sorry."

That made Wolfram turn back to face Gwendal. "What?"

"I'm sorry about all this. I'm sorry we have to leave you behind and I'm sorry you worry so much. But you must understand..." Gwendal stepped forward and placed his hand on Wolfram's shoulders. The younger one seemed to be fighting against tears, his eyes hard and his mouth tightly shut. "…that we worry about you, too. All of us."

For a while the brothers just looked at each other. Wolfram opened his mouth few times to speak but when no words came out, he just looked down and nodded ever so slightly. He didn't promise anything but Gwendal hadn't expected him to. After putting his hand on the top his head for a mere second, feeling the hair that was just as soft as ever, the oldest of the three left the room. He heard a little sound that he assumed to be a beginning of the word "wait" but when he didn't hear anything else, he set his mind to prepare his troops for his departure that waited him in the morning.

--

If he had been in the castle, Stoffel would not have had any choice but to hear his opinion. And his opinion would have been completely different from his uncle's. How dare he sent Conrad to the front line just to proof he was worthy of being considered one of the demon tribe. Every one knew Conrad cared about the Great Demon Kingdom more than could be described in words.

Gwendal cursed his mother's brother in his mind as he closed the door of the room were Conrad was recovering. He had hardly been alive when he had come back and the best healers of the castle were all gone helping the troops that were still trying to make their way back home.

But Conrad wasn't only recovering from his physical wounds. Some air head had told him about Susanna Julia's death. Yes, he was bound to hear about it at some point, but why tell him when he wasn't well enough to even stand on his own?

Gwendal sighed. The aftermath of all that had happened was going to be almost as ugly as the war itself.

"Is he okay?" Gwendal heard Wolfram's voice ask. It was uncharacteristically soft and he was no doubt genuinely worried.

"He's not out of the woods yet," Gwendal answered honestly. "But he's young and strong, he should be alright."

"That's… that's good news…" Wolfram said, staring at the closed door.

"I'm sure he'd appreciate it if you went in and told him that yourself," Gwendal suggested, knowing fully well that it was a long shot.

Wolfram bit his lip. "Does he know about…?"

"Julia? Yes, he does."

"I hope the person with her delivered the flowers to him like I told him to…"

"What?"

"I… I just… Weller and his troops had left and I couldn't even say… I couldn't say anything so I gave that boy flowers that I hoped he'd give to them… him… I just hope he got them in time…" Wolfram explained his cheeks a little bit pink.

Gwendal frowned at the mention of a strange boy with Julia but shrugged it off as something he could think about later. "Which flowers did you pick for them?"

"C…Conrad's Standing Talls…"

Gwendal gave an approving grunt. "You don't really hate him." It wasn't a question, it was a simple statement. "Why do you pretend to?"

Wolfram blinked. "I… I don't… He's half human…"

"You and I both know that is not…"

"Humans leave!" Wolfram said loudly. "One way or the other they always end up going before everyone else. Either they day at a young age or they do something like… Something like he did by agreeing to go the battle! They go away and leave people behind!"

The oldest one could almost agree with the youngest one's logic. But unlike the goldie locks, he was old and wise enough not to think that way.

"He is still here, though, Wolfram."

Gwendal hadn't walked too far away when he heard Conrad's door being opened. He turned around just in time to see Wolfram go in. He was sure even the high tempered young prince was smart enough not to do anything stupid, but just to be sure he walked back to the door and peeked in.

Wolfram was standing at the foot of the bed, looking sadly at the sleeping man lying in front of him. He seemed to struggle with himself but didn't say anything for a long while. Just as Gwendal was about to leave, he heard the youngest one talking.

"I don't want you to die We… Conrad."

Gwendal allowed himself to smile just a little.

--

"You pathetic little wimp, this party is important, why can't you even try look enthusiastic?"

"But I hate dancing; surely you of all people should know that!" Yuuri protested.

"Hmph, you didn't look too unhappy to dance with Lady Tylia just a few months ago," Wolfram said, his arms across his chest.

"Oh, come on, Wolfram. There's absolutely no need to act so jealously anymore, we've been married for a year. You know my heart only beats for you."

Wolfram took a double take and blushed furiously, just like he did every time his wimp of a husband said something like this. He closed his eyes and tried to put the annoyed look back on his face but wasn't being too successful.

"If that is the case then why can't you be happier about our anniversary party?"

"It's not that I don't want to celebrate being married to you for a full year but why does everyone else have to be involved? Can't it just be the two of us? Or well, since everyone insisted on the party, why couldn't it have been just among the closest family? Why did everyone within a hundred mile radius have to be invited?" Yuuri asked, looking pretty miserable in his formal outfit. "And I still hate dancing."

"Wimp. Just get ready, would you? We're going to be late from our own party!"

"But Wolfram…"

"We'll have plenty of time to celebrate alone," Wolfram suddenly said, taking a step forward and placing a quick kiss on Yuuri's lips. "Let's just get through this party and afterwards we'll have some fun in private. Now get ready. I'll go see if Greta needs any help deciding which dress she should wear."

Wolfram couldn't keep the smile off of his face as he left an embarrassed but pleased looking Yuuri standing in front of the mirror. There was no need for the king to actually hurry up, there was plenty of time, but Wolfram couldn't deny that he wasn't excited about the party. There hadn't been many who thought this marriage would happen, even fewer that thought it would last for more than a month. But those unbelievers would now have to face the fact that two still quite young boys were, against all odds, ridiculously in love with each other.

"Well, hello there, Wolfram. You seem very happy," Conrad said when he met Wolfram in the hallway. Wolfram's smile just widened.

"Why shouldn't I be?" he asked.

"No reason. It is a big day for you after all. I've got to say… Me and Gwendal should be pretty embarrassed for the fact that our little brother got married before us," Conrad commented, a smile tugging the corners of his mouth. "But I am happy for you. You know that, right?"

Wolfram gave out the smallest of laughs. "Idiot. Of course I know."

"Good. Now I hope you and Yuuri enjoy the party, Mother put a lot of effort to it."

"That almost sounds like you're not going to attend."

"I will try my best to be back in time to…

"But where are you going? No one should have to work on this day. And I'm Yuuri really wants you there," Wolfram said.

"It is just routine patrolling, I truly am sorry but it is my turn to…"

"I want you there."

They both fell quiet. Something jumped in Conrad's heart when he saw that Wolfram didn't regret what he had just admitted. He smiled then and nodded.

"Yes, I should be there. I will ask for someone else to do my part this once."

Wolfram smiled, too. Neither one of them was aware of Gwendal standing behind the corner, listening to the conversation carefully. A heave burden was lifted from his shoulders as he realized his days of being the link between his two younger brothers were now truly over. He had sensed the change ever since the new king had come to this land and finally it looked like Yuuri had not only brought peace between humans and demons.

And there was nothing Gwendal was more thankful to Yuuri for.

A smile twisting the other end of his mouth, Gwendal joined the other two.


End file.
